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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25591669">Wounded Aura</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/XachMustel/pseuds/XachMustel'>XachMustel</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Owl House (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bullying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Platonic Hurt/Comfort, Revenge</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 05:09:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,285</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25591669</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/XachMustel/pseuds/XachMustel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Upon returning to Potions class at Hexside, Barcus finds himself the target of Boscha's malicious bullying. After a rather horrific bullying incident, Barcus confides in Luz about his problems. Teaming up with King, Luz decides to expose Boscha for the bully she is and avenge her fortune-telling friend.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ever since Barcus had returned to the Potions track at Hexside, tensions between him and his classmate Boscha returned and were stronger than ever. During class, he tried his best to sit as far away from her as possible. When no one was looking, she would do things like stick gum in his fur and pull his tail just for a quick laugh whenever he walked past her. As much as he wanted to fight back, he didn't want to be sent back to detention again so he just put up with the abuse.</p><p>One day, he was out in the courtyard peacefully enjoying a snack when none other than the three-eyed demon herself marched up to him with a beaker in one hand and shoved him to the floor, "Hey, fortune-telling fleabag. You must think you're so much better than us, mixing your potions with oracle magic. Why don't you look at yourself in the mirror and see the color of your own aura for once? I bet it's the aura of a pathetic loser."</p><p>In response, Barcus' fur stood up on end and he let out a low growl. Smirking and clearly unintimidated, Boscha unscrewed the top to the potion she was holding and dumped the purple contents all over the poor dog boy. It immediately scalded him and he let out a pained yelp. As his eyes were closed, Boscha yanked the glasses from his face and stomped on them, cracking the frame. Although Barcus couldn't see the next act of cruelty, he surely felt it as Boscha grabbed him by his earring and gave his ear a nice, hard tug. Tears of pain welled up in his eyes and he just couldn't hold them back anymore. Barcus felt a large tear roll down his furry nose and rest on the tip.</p><p>Boscha had her phone out as she recorded Barcus' pained reaction, "Oh em gee! Did you see that tear? He's CRYING! This is gonna go on Penstagram. It'll make for a good lesson for those who mix tracks and one heck of a viral video. Who knows, dog-boy? You just might be the next big meme with that pathetic face of yours!"</p><p>Coldly, she kicked the glasses away from poor Barcus and left with her posse. As soon as she was off in the distance, Barcus' tear finally fell from his nose and into the puddle of mystery liquid Boscha had poured on him. As soon as the tear connected, the purple-ish liquid turned gray and formed a raincloud that hovered above the pup's head. Next thing Barcus knew, rain was pouring down on him in heavy sheets. All he could do was shiver and whine as the pouring rain mixed with the hot tears now streaming down his face. Slowly, he gathered his broken glasses and trudged his way into the building where he seeked out a corner. Curling up into a ball of fur, Barcus sobbed quietly into his paws as the storm raged above his head for a good 10 minutes before eventually dying down.</p><p>Five minutes had passed when Barcus' ears perked to the sound of footsteps coming down the hall. He could hear a voice that he immediately recognized as Luz chatting with her friends. Gingerly, the canine student emerged from his hiding spot and approached Luz, Willow and Gus. Luz immediately stopped talking to her two friends when she spotted Barcus, "Oh, hey Barcus. How's it going?"</p><p>Barcus slowly approached the trio, whimpering softly. As Luz approached him, she noticed just how disheveled he looked. His glasses were broken, his fur completely drenched with rain and tears and the odor of wet dog just wafted off of him. Luz gasped in horror, "Who did this to you?"</p><p>Instantly, Barcus ran over to his locker and opened it. The demonic locker spat out a crystal ball and Barcus placed his paws over it. Luz, Willow and Gus all watched in horror as images of Boscha bullying him flashed through the ball. </p><p>"You poor thing!" Willow replied, kneeling down and squeezing the fuzzy student in a quick yet tight hug.</p><p>"Bullies are nothing but a bunch of losers." Gus crossed his arms in irritation.</p><p>Luz narrowed her eyes and grumbled, "Boscha did this, didn't she?"</p><p>Barcus whimpered in response as he hung his head, a new batch of tears glistening in his puppydog eyes. The words "I'm afraid so" appeared on his ball as if he was replying to them. He sadly raised his paw under his broken glasses and swiped the tears from his eyes before they had a chance to soak his face-fur. </p><p>Cracking her knuckles, Luz put on a determined face, "Time to teach that three-eyed bully some manners then! Nobody picks on my friends and gets away with it!"</p><p>Frantically, Barcus rubbed his crystal ball as another message appeared on it, "Please, Luz. Just don't. Nothing good can come of this. Just let karma take its course. I don't want you getting in trouble."</p><p>Willow looked over and read the message in Barcus' crystal ball, "He's got a point, you know."</p><p>Barcus nodded in agreement with Willow and Luz folded her arms, "Still, I really don't want her getting away with this."</p><p>The dog gently stroked his ball and another message appeared in it, "I'll be fine, Luz so don't worry about me. I appreciate your concern but this is something I have to deal with."</p><p>"I....respect your decision." Luz sighed slowly, kneeling down and giving Barcus a pat on the head.</p><p>"Thank you for understanding." Barcus replied through his crystal ball before placing it back into his locker. Slowly, his mood began to brighten a bit as his tail wagged behind him. </p><p>Sighing, Luz and her canine friend departed ways. The rest of the day, the image of a hurt Barcus plagued Luz's mind and slowly, her anger towards Bosha began to grow and fester. The tears in poor Barcus' eyes, the mocking laughter of Boscha and her posse. That random act of unnecessary cruelty sparked a fire inside of her. A fire that begun to spread rather quickly. It was all she could think about. Boscha needed to be punished. But how? As the day wound down and Eda picked Luz up from school, the human was usually quiet and didn't speak a single word on the staff ride home. Eda took notice of the silence as they landed in front of the Owl House, "You haven't spoken a word since I picked you up. Did something happen in school? Did you get detention for stuffing insects in Principal Bump's desk?"</p><p>"No....." Luz averted eye contact with her mentor, "It's just, I have this friend that recently got bullied and-"</p><p>Eda immediately shushed her human apprentice, "Let me guess- you want to get back at his or her bully. Luz, you can't be playing hero all the time. Most of your classmates are strong enough to pick their own battles. I've told you this a million times, you don't have to be everybody's knight in shining armor. If you go getting involved, you're gonna get burned."</p><p>"I know...." Luz sighed, "It's just that Barcus was really hurt by what Boscha did to him. He was actually crying, even though he's usually not that emotional."</p><p>Eda placed a hand on Luz's shoulder, "I know you mean well, but it's probably for the best that he recovers on his own time. Anyway, I'm off to take a nap. Try not to disturb me, okay?"</p><p>And with that, Eda entered the house as a depressed Luz followed suit. Upon entering, Luz was happily greeted by King who wagged his fluffy tail, "Heya, Luz! So how was school?"</p><p>"She's bummed that one of her friends got bullied." Eda replied matter-of-factly as she headed deeper into the house.</p><p>"That so?" King chuckled, "Wanna get revenge on the bully? It's been a while since I've cooked up a nice revenge prank."</p><p>"Well, both Eda and Barcus told me to let the problem sort itself out." Luz sighed, "It's probably for the best that I mind my own business."</p><p>"Look, Luz. I know they don't want you getting involved but whoever is getting bullied is gonna keep getting bullied til we put a stop to the problem. Besides, I'm feeling rather bloodthirsty today. I need to quench my thirst on the tears of some miserable lowlife after we humiliate them so fill me in on all the details." King replied, folding his arms while tapping his foot.</p><p>Luz breathed a deep sigh and closed her eyes, "Well, it all started when Willow, Gus and I found Barcus all roughed up in the hall. His fur was drenched and his glasses were all broken. He showed us what happened on his crystal ball and Boscha was practically torturing the poor little guy. Barcus practically begged me not to seek revenge but I just couldn't stop thinking about the incident. She even recorded the abuse and tried to make it into a viral video. How sick is that?"</p><p>King narrowed his eyes, "Isn't Boscha that weird triclops girl who tried to take a selfie with me with that cringey flower crown filter? Cause if so, then I'm on board with getting revenge. I've got a score of my own to settle with her. As a matter of fact, I've got a plan all cooked up in my head. Boscha is a potions student, right?"</p><p>"Yes." Luz nodded, "She and Barcus are in the same class."</p><p>"Well then lucky for us, Eda's got a book of potion recipes. After all, she was in the potions track back in Hexside so it's more than likely she has some old textbook sitting around collecting dust. You see, what we need is a laxative potion and wait until Boscha works on "edible potions". We'll switch whatever potion she has with the laxative potion and then when the teacher tastes Boscha's potion, we lock her in a room with Principal Bump's hat. The potions teacher will have no choice but to go blishidy-blish in Principal Bump's ugly hat and when the Principal puts it on, he becomes a big smelly poopie head! Also, Boscha gets an F for giving her teacher a laxative potion. Aren't I a genius?"</p><p>"Uhhhh......that's an.......interesting plan, King. But......why would we seek revenge on Princpial Bump?" Luz asked, raising an eyebrow.</p><p>"He chased me out of the school with a broom once so he deserves it!" King replied, arms folded.</p><p>"I have an even better plan, hoot hoot." Hooty interrupted as he moved into the room.</p><p>"NO! NOBODY wants to hear about YOUR stupid plans, Hooty!" King shouted rudely at the sapient house.</p><p>"I'm all ears." Luz shrugged, "Does it involve giving the potions teacher diarrhea?"</p><p>"No, it's really quite a simple plan hoot hoot." Hooty replied, twisting his head upside-down, "Just steal her phone and expose her to the whole school."</p><p>"Hooty, you're a genius!" Luz replied as she gave the house a hug.</p><p>"NO! That's a terrible plan!" King lashed out in annoyance.</p><p>"What's so bad about it?" Luz asked.</p><p>"BECAUSE PRINCIPAL BUMP DOESN'T GET DIARRHEA ON HIS HEAD, THAT'S WHAT!" King screamed as he childishly stomped his foot.</p><p>"C'mon King, do it for meeee. Arf woof woof." Luz begged, pulling out a sock puppet of the dog-witch and making whimpering noises with it.</p><p>"Ugh, fine." King groaned, "There's no arguing with you when you're in sock puppet mode and I'm bored so I might as well tag along. Long as we crush Boscha like the pathetic little worm she is, I'll be happy."</p><p>"Then it's settled, tomorrow we'll carry out Operation: Expose." Luz smirked with satisfaction.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Luz and King have hatched a plan to teach Boscha a lesson for her ruthless bullying of Barcus. An unexpected ally joins them on their mission.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luz stood in front of Hexside, breathing a heavy sigh. King popped his head out of her backpack, "So, ya ready to put Operation: Expose into motion?"</p><p>"Yeah. I'll go on my day as usual while you spy on Boscha. No phones are allowed in class, so once she leaves her phone behind, swipe it. When you get a hold of it, call me on the walkie talkie to tell me that the pig is in the henhouse. That's code talk for when you've got Boscha's phone. After lunch is the assembly. We'll sneak in there and replace Principal Bump's presentation with Boscha's video while his back is turned." Luz explained, "Just stay in the shadows and keep a low profile, okay?"</p><p>"Gotcha!" King replied happily, giving her a thumbs-up and hopping out of her bag.</p><p>And with that, the two parted ways. As Luz was walking through the halls, she spotted Viney putting away her bookbags, "Hey, Viney! How's Barcus doing?"</p><p>"Oh, hi Luz. Barcus decided to take a day off school to recover his aura. He looked pretty upset over something. I didn't want to press him about it but his fur was all wet and his glasses were broken. Maybe he got injured in some sort of explosion in Potions class?" Viney guessed, rubbing her chin.</p><p>Luz sighed and hung her head, "Actually, the truth is much darker than that. Boscha's been bullying him pretty bad. She doused him with a potion, broke his glasses and yanked his ear. She even posted it on Penstagram for a laugh!"</p><p>Frowning, Viney cracked her knuckles, "Want me to call on Puddles to sort her out?"</p><p>"Nonono." Luz shook her head rapidly, "King and I have this one covered. Just be sure to check on Barcus occasionally. Poor little guy needs all the cheering up he can get."</p><p>"Yeah." Viney nodded, "It's a real shame healing classes don't cover healing emotional or psychological pain cause if they did, I'd help Barcus in a heartbeat. Do me a favor and raise hell for Boscha, okay? It's been a while since somebody put her in her place."</p><p>"Will do, Viney." Luz replied with a smirk, "Will do."</p><p>And with that, the two departed ways. Meanwhile, King was hiding in some bushes in the courtyard when he spotted Amity and Boscha who were walking together. He listened in on their conversation. "Say Amity, I just posted a really fun viral video. Wanna see it?"</p><p>"All right, I'm all caught up in my work so I might as well have a look at it." Amity replied with a shrug.</p><p>The two sat down on a bench together as Boscha pulled up the video. Amity watched the video of Boscha's vicious bullying of Barcus and frowned. Boscha just grinned at her friend, "Wasn't that amazing? That loser Barcus totally deserved that! He usually keeps his emotions in check so you have no idea just how satisfying it was to break him like that!"</p><p>Amity sighed and hung her head, "Didn't you take things......a bit too far?"</p><p>"What do you mean?" Boscha raised an eyebrow.</p><p>"I mean, he didn't do anything to provoke you yet you just waltzed right up to him and started abusing him." Amity replied, shaking her head.</p><p>"So?"</p><p>"What you did was unnecessary. Sometimes, I wonder why we even hang out together, Boscha." Amity said sadly as she got up and walked away.</p><p>Boscha was flabbergasted by Amity's reaction and just glared at her with her three eyes, "You've gone soft, Amity. Been hanging around with that lame human girl too much."</p><p>"Hmmm. Perhaps I could recruit Amity for our little operation...." King mused to himself from within the bushes, "A mole could be useful."</p><p>And with that, King darted out of the bushes and ran up to the green-haired witch, "Hey you! Wanna get some easy extra credit points?"</p><p>"Oh? Hey, aren't you Luz's little pet?" Amity replied, peering down at King.</p><p>"I am NOT her pet! I am the all-powerful king of demons and you shall address me as such!" King ordered angrily, stomping his foot in anger.</p><p>"Right." Amity rolled her eyes in response, "So what's all this about extra credit?"</p><p>"It's really quite simple. Like most schools, I betcha Hexside has a zero tolerance policy. All you gotta do is swipe Boscha's phone and expose what a total creep she is to the whole school. You'll be praised as a hero!" King replied, wagging his bushy tail.</p><p>"M-me? Steal from another student?! Are you crazy?!" Amity gasped in shock.</p><p>"Sometimes you just gotta crack a few eggs to make an omelet. It's for the greater good. So, are you in?" King asked, sticking out his paw to shake Amity's hand.</p><p>"I......I'll think about it." Amity sighed, turning down the handshake, "Also, sorry about the cupcake incident."</p><p>"Water under the bridge." King replied casually, "Lucky for you, I've got bigger fish to fry." Just then, King's stomach growled, "Well, it was nice talkin' to ya but my tum-tum is rumbling and I'm off to grab some dumpster doughnuts. Hope you make the right choice!"</p><p>Confused, Amity watched the fluffy demon run off and leap into a trash bin, "Luz makes friends with the weirdest people but he's got a good point. Hmmmm......"</p><p>Meanwhile, Willow and Jerbo had just gotten out of the plant magic class and were chatting with each other in the hallway. "So how's Barcus holding up?" Willow asked the former delinquent, "Has he sent you any texts?"</p><p>"He told me that his aura needs time to mend. I asked Viney if she could help him out with her healing magic but she's apparently not high level enough to know emotional support spells. Barcus is a lot tougher than he looks so you probably shouldn't worry too much about him. He's much stronger and better at bouncing back than I am." Jerbo replied, leaning against his locker.</p><p>"Still, I can't help but feel sorry for him." Willow sighed, "When Luz found him like that, she got pretty fired up about wanting to get revenge on Boscha. I tried talking her down but once Luz gets into hero mode, it's pretty much impossible to stop her."</p><p>Just then, Luz zoomed down the hall and approached Willow and Jerbo, "Hey, guys. How's the plant magic track going?"</p><p>"Fine." Willow replied with a nod, "We're actually doing a group project together and it's coming along great. You sure you still want to go after Boscha?"</p><p>"Boscha?" Luz chuckled nervously, "Nah, she can go take a hike. Barcus is pretty tough and doesn't need me standing up for him. I'm certainly not planning anything to teach her a lesson. You know, best to mind my own business and not get involved."</p><p>"That's great, Luz." Willow smiled, "You're really beginning to mature. I'm sure Barcus will be back on his feet and wagging his tail in no time."</p><p>"Anyway, I'll see you at lunch. Gotta go write a love ballad for the bard track. Bye!" Luz replied as she hurried down the hall.</p><p>Willow lightly elbowed Jerbo, "Just between you and me, I'm pretty sure she's lying."</p><p>An hour later, Luz, Gus, Willow, Viney and Jerbo were all sitting at lunch, discussing all the different tracks mixtures and combination potential when King tapped on the window with his claw. Luz turned her attention over to the window and got up from her seat, "Excuse me, everyone. I've gotta use the restroom."</p><p>"Try not to fall in!" Viney and Gus joked in unison as the human made her way out of the cafeteria. Much to Luz's surprise, King and Amity were outside together. She couldn't believe it. Amity was in on it, too? And somehow King convinced her? She couldn't help but squee at the sight.</p><p>"Good news, Luz." King spoke up.</p><p>"Amity's joined in on Operation: Expose?" Luz interrupted, clearly unable to contain her excitement.</p><p>"Boscha showed me her video." Amity sighed, hanging her head, "She's gone too far this time and absolutely deserves to be punished. Willingly abusing a fellow student and trying to make it into a viral video is beyond disgusting and I'll be more than happy to expose her for the monster she is in front of the school."</p><p>Overjoyed, Luz threw her arms around Amity in a big hug, "YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!!!!!! Together, the three of us are gonna put her in her place!"</p><p>"Time to kick some triclops butt!" King cheered, pumping his fist.</p><p>Luz released Amity from the hug and the mint-haired witch dusted herself off, "The assembly begins in an hour. The sooner we find Boscha and get her phone, the better. My abominations will help out. Luz and I will swipe the phone. King, you stall out Principal Bump from setting up."</p><p>"Roger that!" King and Luz saluted in unison. </p><p>King turned to face Luz, "Guess you'll be calling me on the walkie talkie instead."</p><p>The plan was now set into motion. Finally, Boscha would get what was coming to her!</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>After a fight over Boscha's phone, Luz, Amity, King and Boscha get sent to Principal Bump's office to sort things out.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Boscha was slowly walking down the hall, still laughing at her video when Amity stood in front of her. She had two tall abominations on either side of her and the triclops just smirked at her, "Hey there, Amity. Ready for another boring assembly?"</p><p>Amity just stood there, arms crossed with a blank and serious stare on her face, "Boscha, I'm afraid you've gone too far this time. I'm going to report your behavior to Principal Bump, regardless of how my parents feel."</p><p>"Wh-WHAT?! Don't tell me you're siding with that loser, aren't you?" Boscha huffed in irritation, "Why in the world would anybody stick up for that mangy fleabag Barcus?"</p><p>"I'm just doing the right thing, Boscha. Hand over the phone. Now." Amity ordered, gesturing towards the triclops.</p><p>"Make me." Boscha smirked, unfazed by the two abominations flanking Amity.</p><p>"We could've done this the easy way, but unfortunately, you've chosen the hard way. Abominations, SEIZE HER!" Amity ordered as her two golems of purple sludge charged at the bully.</p><p>Immediately, Boscha whipped a beaker out of her uniform and slammed it on the ground. Immediately, the chemicals dissolved the abominations and Boscha jumped over the pile of abomination goop and sprinted down the hall but as she was about the reach the end, Luz emerged from the corner and threw a light glyph spell at her, blinding her. Now disoriented, Boscha rubbed at her eyes and as she did so, her phone fell from her hands and clattered to the floor. </p><p>Instantly, Luz swooped in and snatched Boscha's phone off the floor before dashing off with it, "Thanks for the gift, Boscha!" She then spoke into her walkie talkie, "The pig is in the henhouse. I repeat, the pig is in the henhouse!"</p><p>"Roger that." King's voice came through the other end.</p><p>The triclops let out a scream of rage, noticing her phone was now missing and ran after Luz in a dazed state as Amity re-formed her abominations and went after them.</p><p>Meanwhile, King was slowly inching his way into Principal Bump's office and luckily for him, he was too busy chatting into a crystal ball with his back turned to even notice the tiny demon's presence. Slowly, King tip-toed over to a spare crystal ball that was laying on a low shelf and wrapped his paws around it, "Just like taking candy from a big, butt-chinned baby."</p><p>At that moment, King's luck ran out as Bump's call ended and the principal spun around to face him, "What are YOU doing with my crystal ball? I need that for the assembly! Give it back!"</p><p>"Catch me if you can, sucker!" King yelled as he snatched the ball above his head and dashed out of the office.</p><p>The chase was on. Luz was in the lead with a furious Boscha at her heels who was being tailed by Amity and her hulking abominations. Behind then, King was dashing as fast as his legs could carry them with Principal Bump in pursuit. Noticing Bump was gaining on him, King chucked the ball towards Amity, "Hey Amity, catch!"</p><p>"Abomination, catch!" Amity ordered as the sludge monster extended and arm and took grasp of the ball. At this point, kids and faculty alike were emerging from the halls and watching the chase scene fold out around the school's roundabout. Gus and Viney happily cheered Luz on while Willow just facepalmed at the ridiculous scenario she was witnessing. Distracted by her friends, Luz tripped and Boscha's crystal ball phone went rolling and Boscha tripped over Luz. Noticing this, Amity jumped over the two downed girls and scooped up Boscha's phone. Boscha glared at the green-haired witch, "Amity, give it back!"</p><p>"Not until you apologize to Barcus!" Amity smirked as she held on to the phone. </p><p>"I'll NEVER say sorry to that dogbreath know-it-all freakshow!" Boscha spat angrily as she tried to get up.</p><p>"ENOUGH!" Bump shouted as he cast some sort of restraint spell on Luz, Amity, Boscha, King and the abominations, "ALL OF YOU! To my office, NOW!"</p><p>"Yes sir...." They all replied in unison as they were led in the direction of the principal's office.</p><p>Upon entering, Luz, Amity, Boscha, King and the two abominations sat down in the chairs in front of Bump's desk. Bump slowly paced back and forth in front of them, "Now, give me all one good reason why I shouldn't expel all of you."</p><p>"Because I'm not even a student here, ya butt-chinned idiot!" King lashed out.</p><p>"Shut up, you little rat! I was gonna speak first!" Boscha snapped at King.</p><p>"How DARE you speak to your future ruler like that, you worthless peon! I shall rain hellfire on you and your family crest for all eternity for I am THE KING OF DEMONS!!!"</p><p>"ENOUGH!" Principal Bump banged his fist on his desk in anger.</p><p>Just then, Amity stood up, "Principal Bump, if you'll just let me explain, I'll fill you in on everything."</p><p>"Very good, Amity. I'll hear you out." Bump replied calmly as he relaxed a bit at his desk. </p><p>"Well, it all started when Boscha decided to record herself harassing a fellow student. She pushed him down, doused him with a potion, broke his glasses and pulled his earring." Amity explained, pacing in front of the Principal, "She decided to upload it on the internet in an attempt to make it a viral video. She showed the video to me and last time I checked, it didn't have many views."</p><p>"I actually came across Barcus when he was bullied yesterday." Luz chimed in, "He was pretty upset and shaken up by the whole thing. When I returned home, King and I hatched a plan to swipe Boscha's phone and replace your crystal ball with it during the assembly to expose her to the entire school."</p><p>"I see....." Bump calmly replied, rubbing his chin.</p><p>"After seeing the video for myself, I decided to join them in on their little scheme." Amity admitted, "If you want my opinion on the matter, I think Boscha went too far."</p><p>"TRAITOR!" Boscha objected, slamming her fist against her chair.</p><p>"SILENCE!" Principal Bump ordered before turning his back to the four, "It seems like this entire incident was a case of vigilante justice. Again, remind me who was the bullied party."</p><p>"Barcus." Luz replied, "And I have no idea why someone would want to bully him. He's one of the sweetest, most intelligent guys I know. I mean, have you seen him craft that new potion that lets you see auras when you drink it? That's pretty innovative if you ask me."</p><p>"Why are you talking about?" Boscha huffed, "He's nothing but a four-eyed flea-bitten freak who thinks he's better than me."</p><p>"So I see this was a case of bitter jealousy...." Bump rubbed his chin before walking up to Boscha, "Boscha, give me your phone. I need to watch the video for myself to determine your punishment."</p><p>"Why?"</p><p>"Give it to me, or I'll send you off to The Forest." Bump threatened, glaring down the the triclops.</p><p>Boscha instantly went pale, "No.....n-not the forest. Anything but that!"</p><p>Luz lightly tapped Amity on the shoulder, "What's The Forest?"</p><p>"You DON'T wanna know." Amity shuddered in response.</p><p>"Okay....." Boscha sighed, "You win. Here, have my phone. I'll unlock it using my password and pull up the video."</p><p>"Very good, Boscha. But complying won't spare you from your punishment." Bump replied with an evil smirk as Boscha pulled up the video. </p><p>And with that, the video played. Amity shook her head sadly, Luz covered her ears to block out Barcus' pained whimpers, King was witnessing the video for the first time and even he couldn't help but wince as he watched Boscha yank Barcus' earring. Boscha was now trembling with fear as Bump watched the poor dog-witch's torture without emotion. Sighing, Bump closed the video and smiled over at Luz, "Good news, Luz. I've decided that Boscha will be exposed at the assembly. Originally, I was going to hold the assembly on glyph abuse but publicly shaming a bully can actually be quite fun." He then smirked at Boscha, "Hope you think grey looks good on you."</p><p>Boscha went dead silent as Luz, Amity and King shared a high five. Finally, Boscha was going to be shamed for the monster she truly was.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Boscha finally receives her punishment and the Potions class throws an appreciation party for Barcus.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The assembly was about to start and Boscha was quaking like a leaf. Luz, Amity and King were all glaring at her as Bump led them down the hall and into a dimly lit indoor gymnasium that was packed to the brim with students and staff alike. Standing before everyone, Bump cleared his throat and spoke up, "Attention, everybody. Although I declared this assembly to be on the subject of glyph abuse, we have a much more pressing matter at hand; Bullying. Sure, we all love watching a good kid fight every now and then but there are times when a line gets crossed too far. In this case, witness for yourselves just how cruel bullying can be."</p><p>Boscha was biting her nails at this point as Bump set up the crystal ball. Immediately, a holographic video started playing of Boscha abusing Barcus:</p><p>"Oh em gee! Did you see that tear? He's CRYING! This is gonna go on Penstagram. It'll make for a good lesson for those who mix tracks and one heck of a viral video. Who knows, dog-boy? You just might be the next big meme with that pathetic face of yours!"</p><p>Instantly, a gasp echoed throughout the gymnasium. As the majority of the student body glared in disgust at Boscha who was now standing center stage. Most were in shock, some were seething with rage and a few of the more sensitive students were shedding tears. Just then, a spotlight shone down upon Boscha as the crowd glared at her in disgust. "Take a gander at this fine specimen of a bully, driven by nothing more than petty jealousy. Let this be an example for students who take their bullying too far at Hexside." Bump spoke into the microphone. </p><p>And with that, he snapped his fingers and a gray ring of magic appeared and next thing Boscha knew, her yellow Potions uniform was now a depressing shade of gray. She immediately fell to her knees, crying and screaming as tears spilled from her three eyes, "YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! I'M ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR GIRLS IN SCHOOL! MY PARENTS WILL SUE! THREY'LL GET THE BEST LAWYER IN THE BOILING ISLES! YOU'LL BE JOBLESS! YOU'LL BE PENNILESS! YOU'LL BE OUT ON THE STREETS, YOU STINKING OLD FART!"</p><p>Just then, Boscha felt a hand on her shoulder. Wiping her tears away she looked up and saw the detentions teacher, all six eyes staring down at her with a satisfied smirk on his face as he recorded her, "Oh em gee! Did you see that tear? She's CRYING! This is gonna go on Penstagram. It'll make for a good lesson for those who bully others and one heck of a viral video. Who knows, spoiled brat? You just might be the next big meme with that pathetic face of yours!"</p><p>And with that, the detentions teacher grabbed Boscha and dragged her out of the gymnasium as she screeched with uncontrollable rage. Bump then turned to face her posse, "As for the rest of you, you're all suspended for a month and before you think of shopping at the mall, you're all getting EXTRA homework!"</p><p>The girls groaned while Amity sighed and hung her head. Luz put a hand on Amity's shoulder, "It's okay, Amity. You don't need to hang out with them. They brought this on themselves."</p><p>"I know, it's just I'm worried what my parents might think. After all, I took part in the whistleblowing." Amity replied, folding her arms.</p><p>"Don't worry about it." Luz laughed, "Like I said, they're the ones who chose to be bullies and you had nothing to do with the incident. They brought this on themselves."</p><p>"You're right." Amity nodded, "I should've known they'd cross the line sooner or later."</p><p>"Anyway, I'm planning on throwing an appreciation party for Barcus tomorrow." Luz replied with a smile, "There's gonna be cake and punch and lots of hugs for the little guy. Are you going to join in?"</p><p>"I would but unfortunately, I have some work to catch up on." Amity replied back, "It'll be easier to focus on my curriculum with Boscha and her friends gone."</p><p>"All right, now that that's over with, we can finally get on with our original topic of glyph abuse." Bump announced as Luz and Amity filed into their seats in some nearby bleachers.</p><p>The very next day, Barcus was walking down through the halls of Hexside. His aura had since recovered and was much healthier and more content compared to the day the bullying took place. As he stepped towards the Potions class, one paw in front of the other, he felt an unusual warmth in the atmosphere. It was as if a force of love and kindness was beckoning him to his class. Upon entering the room, the Potions teacher turned the lights on and Barcus was greeted by all his fellow Potions students along with Viney, Jerbo, Gus, Willow and Luz, "SURPRISE!!!!" They all yelled at the same time.</p><p>Barcus took his time to scan his surroundings. There was a big banner across the wall that said "We love you, Barcus!" and a bunch of photos of him on the banner. He blinked a few times, trying to process the whole thing. It certainly wasn't his birthday, so why were they celebrating for him?</p><p>Viney knelt down and patted her former detention buddy on his fuzzy head, "Hey Barcus, we decided to throw an appreciation party for you. It was Luz's idea. You should thank her."</p><p>Wagging his tail, Barcus walked up to her and happily nuzzled her leg. Overwhelmed by cuteness, Luz knelt down and picked up the dog student in her arms, "I've got a very special surprise for you. I got a new crystal ball for you and we all filled it with nothing but kind thoughts for you. You deserve a little pick-me-up after what Boscha said to you."</p><p>"I'm just glad we won't be seeing three eyes for a while." Gus laughed, "She never had anything nice to say about anyone."</p><p>"Yeah." Willow agreed, "Sometimes bullies just have to learn the hard way."</p><p>"Touch the crystal ball, Barkus." Luz encouraged, "You've earned this."</p><p>Gingerly, the dog-witch jumped off of Luz and onto a table that had a crystal ball in the center of it. Placing his paws onto the sphere, he closed his eyes and immediately, his mind was flooded with all sorts of kind and complimentary thoughts. His eyes snapped open with a warm pink glow as he absorbed everything the crystal ball told him. Words about how cute he was, how smart he was, how nice he was, how loyal and helpful he was. He received messages telling him how special he was and how much he mattered to everyone. The more information he absorbed, the more and more choked up he got. He truly felt like he didn't deserve all this. </p><p>The sheer force of love and kindness emerging from the ball was too much for the oracle-potions' student's aura to handle. Barcus could barely contain his emotions as happy tears stung his glowing eyes and slipped out from beneath his glasses. The warm, salty tears rolling down his nose splashed upon the crystal ball as he allowed himself to weep openly in front of his classmates. He was far too emotional to put his thoughts into the crystal ball so his old detention buddy decided to translate his whimpers. Jerbo knelt beside him and rubbed Barcus' back as he joyfully whimpered, "He says that he's just so happy to have friends like us and that nobody's ever stood up for him like this before. He also says that he's never felt his aura feel so warm and tingly before."</p><p>Nodding, Barcus dragged his sleeve across his nose, drying his tears away before rubbing his crystal ball. A message slowly formed in the ball, "Thank you. Thank you all so much. I feel so lucky to have such amazing friends like you."</p><p>"Group hug, everyone!" Luz shouted as everyone gathered around Barcus and took turns hugging and petting him. As the affection in the room died down, the teacher brought out a vanilla cake with a picture of Barcus on it. Happily, Viney cut the cake and served everyone a slice. She gave the first slice to Barcus as he happily devoured it. Barcus barked happily and wagged his tail as he was surrounded by his friends, the fur around his mouth stained by vanilla icing. The end.</p>
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